Searching for the right balance between the highs and lows of diabetes

Diabetes Unconference: What is your area of expertise?

The very first Diabetes UnConference is now over. It was held at the Flamingo Hotel on the Las Vegas strip, in the shadow of the already-famous High Roller.

How to describe the UnConference? Well, I can’t tell you much about what was discussed in our sessions Saturday and Sunday. That’s because all attendees observed a strict no-social-media policy from our meeting area throughout the weekend. So I’m not here to give you a blow by blow rundown of what was presented.

Now that that disclosure is out of the way, let me back up a bit. Let me tell you about what the Diabetes UnConference was.

It was a place where adults living with diabetes, of all types, from all backgrounds, were engaging with each other in a safe, protective environment, rather than sitting in their chairs and looking up at someone’s PowerPoint presentation. It was an absolutely judgement-free zone 24 hours a day.

Instead, the experts at this conference were the attendees. Their presentations were on a number of subjects and drew on the collective experience of nearly 2,000 years of living with this chronic condition.

There was laughing and crying, there was criticism and praise, and there was support and a lot of listening to each other.

There was not always agreement. There was always respect. There were diabetes veterans meeting the newly or relatively newly diagnosed. There were tips and tricks exchanged.

People shared some of their most closely held fears and secrets. People emerged stronger. People emerged not feeling so alone. People were empowered to take another look at diabetes and their friends who live with diabetes, making a collective investment in a better future for all of us. We are all in.

In the end, I can tell you how I’m feeling a day after the conclusion of this event. Thanks to the people in the photo above, my heart is soaring today, without the help of anything but insulin and the support, understanding, and empowerment provided by my fellow compatriots.

And I would be honored if you brought your expertise to the UnConference next year.

Aboard the High Roller, 500 feet above the Las Vegas strip

No disclosure to see here, folks. I paid for conference registration and for travel to and from Las Vegas all on my own. And I’m damn glad I did.

Thanks Rachel! It was an incredible experience diving into the psychosocial impacts of diabetes, as Kelly Kunik says, in all dimensions. Sometimes raw, sometimes funny, sometimes in between, it meant a lot to me personally.

Stephen, I am so glad to have finally met you in person. You were every bit as wonderful as I expected! I am emotionally and physically exhausted but so honored to have met you and all of the other wonderful D-people at the #duncon.

Stephen, I knew I was still an emotional mess when I started reading this and couldn’t see through the tears. I miss everyone and am already looking forward to next year. Your post is perfect. Thank you for writing it and for being awesome!

I’m finally getting around to reading all the posts. My post is so similar to yours! We rock! haha. Great to see you again and it was wonderful to be able to spend some time outside of the actual conference. Next year we’ll do it again!!

The more I read, the more emotional I become and now… can’t even see the screen. Was so great seeing you again Stephen, and thank you for everything. Such an incredible experience, and love how you nailed it with we “emerged not feeling so alone.” Can’t say it any better than that! Thanks for sharing this, and can’t wait to see you again at FFL in July.

Mike, thanks for adding your input to a super Unconference. It wouldn’t have been as great without you. I’m probably not going to make it to FFL or MasterLab this year… but enjoy your time there. I know it will be great!

Trackbacks

[…] first ever Diabetes UnConference in Las Vegas. During my trip home, I saw on social media that Stephen wrote a blog post about it and I thought to myself, wow he’s quick! But then I thought, he had the right […]

A Disclaimer

I have no medical training. If you consider anything written here as medical, legal, financial, or any other kind of advice, you’re out of your mind. Please speak to a learned professional before making any changes that might affect your health. Any of the original content found on this site is my property and should not be reproduced, copied, or otherwise used without the author’s expressed written consent.